There are patients that come to see us that experience a chronic pain known as fibromyalgia. This is a widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness that are usually noticed in localized areas. Chiropractic care can be a better choice than traditional medicine for fibromyalgia. The reason is that fibromyalgia often causes tender, sore spots all over the body. Common symptoms of this condition are extreme fatigue, sleep disturbance, problems swallowing, numbness, tingling, bowel issues and joint stiffness. Chiropractic manipulation can help by reducing the pressure on blood vessels and nerves, improving circulation and reducing pain. Studies found that within approximately fifteen visits, fibromyalgia patients experienced positive results from their chiropractic treatment. Living with fibromyalgia can be agony, but hope may very well lie in the hands of chiropractors and other alternative health care providers.

Fighting against health issues like allergies, asthma, and pain on a regular basis can be frustrating. The average group of people that tend to suffer from these ailments expect them each year or season. Allergy and/asthma sufferers often feel like there are not a lot of relief options when seeking assistance. Most visit a doctor seeking prescribed medication or look for over the counter options. There are however two basic options one should entertain.

The first option is simply to visit their doctor, get prescribed medication, and hope for the best. But for those willing to take a more proactive approach to their wellness, adding in alternative health care like chiropractic and acupuncture could deliver results that are far more impressive than what traditional options may be able to provide.

The main difference with alternative health is the approach a mixed chiropractic care provider will take. For allergies, a chiropractor won’t immediately start prescribing drugs for you to buy and use for the rest of your life. Instead, they’ll take a look at your health, your diet, and your lifestyle. Something as simple as nutrition counseling or a few exercise routines can often help you start to escape from brain fog and fatigue even when allergies are at play. A chiropractic adjustment and other alternative health care treatments can also be applied depending upon specific needs.

Another consideration to remember when looking at allergies, alternative health care, and traditional methods is that you’ll often be given a more personalized course of treatment with chiropractic and alternative wellness choices. A good chiropractor will incorporate a variety of things into your care to facilitate the best improvements possible. Plus, you’ll probably end up paying less in the long run and feeling better. When you capture the overall essence of your wellness, the results can be impressive.

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This question has plagued all of us, including researchers for a long time! Could it be because we’re all inherently lazy and don’t exercise enough? Or maybe it’s because we have a job that’s too demanding on our back? To properly address this question, here are some interesting facts:

1. The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) is common, as 70-85% of ALL PEOPLE have back pain that requires treatment of some sort at some time in life.

2. On a yearly basis, the annual prevalence of back pain averages 30% and once you have back pain, the likelihood of recurrence is high.

3. Back pain is the most common cause of activity limitation in people less than 45 years of age.

4. Back pain is the 2nd most frequent reason for physician visits, the 5th ranking reason for hospital admissions, and is the 3rd most common cause for surgical procedures.

5. About 2% of the US workforce receives compensation for back injuries annually.

6. Similar statistics exist for other countries, including the UK and Sweden.

So, what are the common links as to why back pain is so common? One reason has to do with the biomechanics of the biped – that is, the two legged animal. When compared to the 4-legged species, the vertically loaded spine carries more weight in the low back, shows disk and joint deterioration and/or arthritis much sooner, and we overload the back more frequently because, well, we can! We have 2 free arms to lift and carry items that often weigh way too much for our back to be able to safely handle. We also lift and carry using poor technique. Another reason is anatomical as the blood supply to our disks is poor at best, and becomes virtually non-existent after age 30. That makes healing of disk tears or cracks nearly impossible. Risk factors for increased back injury include heavy manual lifting requirements, poor or low control of the work environment, and prior incidence of low back pain.

Other risk factors include psychosocial issues such as fear of injury, beliefs that pain means one should not work, beliefs that treatment or time will not help resolve a back episode, the inability to control the condition, high anxiety and/or depression levels, and more. Because there are so many reasons back problems exist, since the early 1990’s, it has been strongly encouraged that we as care providers utilize a “biopsychosocial model” of managing those suffering with low back pain, which requires not only chiropractic treatment but proper patient education putting to rest unnecessary fears about back pain.

When it comes to alternative health care options there are very few choices as well-known as acupuncture. Acupuncture is an old practice where needles are inserted into various points of the body to help deliver a beneficial effect. Studies have found that acupuncture treatments may provide relief from a variety of issues including low back pain, ankle pain, neck pain, and much more. Combined with things like proper nutrition, weight loss, and chiropractic care it can provide a total wellness regimen that will help you feel better than ever, giving you energy and pain relief that few other options can provide. With numerous acupuncture providers available across the country, finding relief through this alternative health care practice is easier than ever.

It’s commonly believed that issues with the flow of energy in your body can cause muscular pain, headaches, digestive pain, and a wide range of other issues. Acupuncture is the process of using needles to help promote proper flow of energy throughout the body.

Recent studies have found that in some cases acupuncture can provide relief for certain types of pain and for issues. By alleviating stress and helping stimulate various aspects of your wellness, many have reported less pain, more energy, and better overall well-being as a result of their treatment. For more details on Acupuncture check out our Acupuncture blog!

The term ‘bad back’ gets thrown around a lot, but if you’re suffering from a herniated disc then you’re certainly more aware of the issue than most. Basically, a herniated disc is when your spine’s bones, known as vertebrae, are cushioned by discs that function as shock absorbers. Herniated discs are damaged, deteriorated, or otherwise abnormal discs that bulge out from the spine. When they do so, they apply pressure on nerves, vessels, and other parts of the spinal column.

This condition can trigger pain in the back as well as in other parts of the body, notably the legs in the case of lower back pain, and can be true agony if left unchecked. When a herniated disc presses on nerve roots, it can cause pain, numbness, and weakness in the area of the body where the nerve travels.

Instead of masking the pain with painkillers, consider visiting a chiropractor if you’re suffering from a herniated disc. Chiropractic care will help adjust your spine so that the swelling is lessened and the pain reduced.

When you decide to go see a chiropractor you can expect your visit to include a full-spectrum approach to your pain. Chiropractic care is more than getting your back popped and/or cracked. Before adjustments, most qualified chiropractors will take the time to stimulate and relax your back muscles, usually with electrical stimulation, heat, or cold. This helps adjustments to be much more successful. A good chiropractor will alleviate any concerns that you have, answer all of your questions, and help you understand all of what you should expect during a visit. Keep all of these issues in mind when you’re looking for chiropractic care for your aches, pain, and wellness concerns.

Back pain is one of the most complicated health issues you’ll face, mainly because the causes can vary so greatly and because the different steps of recovery are often so varied as well. And when it comes to a slipped disc, you’ll have even fewer options available to you since the issue is so difficult to correct. Your two basic options will be to either stick with your regular physician or to turn to alternative health care providers, mainly chiropractic providers. If you suspect you have a slipped disc or have recently been diagnosed with one, then you’ll want to take a closer look at just what you’re facing and what your options are.

First, it’s worth knowing what the condition is and why it can cause so many different issues. Basically, your spine is made up of an alternating sequence of small bones – called vertebrae – and small cushion like compounds called discs. These discs cushion impacts on the spine and help protect the sensitive nerves, vessels, and bones within it. When these discs become swollen, damaged, degraded, split or otherwise injured then they may ‘slip’ from between the bones, swelling up and pressing against the nerves and vessels around it. Fluid may even leak from a split disc and cause the pain. A slipped disc can cause numbness, tingling, and pain not only in the area it is located, but in any areas connected to the nerves it is pressing against.

Obviously, reduction of swelling is the main treatment option. Your physician will generally go about this by prescribing some muscle relaxers and suggesting cold or hot packs be placed on the area. Slipped discs could be an ongoing condition, however, and the slightest irritation could cause the inflammation again. With chiropractic care you’ll be treated with regular adjustments that work to align any vertebrae that could be out of place and leading to the slipped disc issue. You may also get various muscle related treatments like minor electrical stimulation of the muscles to help relax them.

In severe cases, surgery may be the only way to solve slipped disc issues. Of course, it’s an expensive, invasive, and dangerous option that most don’t want to pursue and as a result most people prefer to try to overcome and manage their pain in other ways. A good chiropractic care provider working with other alternative health care providers could be the perfect option for you. Basically, you’ll find that they can combine stretching exercise regiments, chiropractic care, massage, and acupuncture to deliver a broader approach to overcoming your pain. If you’re tired of the pain then you might want to see just what these professional care providers can do for you.

All good doctors know the importance of getting an accurate diagnosis of a patient’s problem. But why is this so important? It’s important because without knowing what is the disease or injury, the treatment cannot be directed to the actual problem. It is important to find out the purpose behind consistent headaches instead of only masking the symptoms.

Unfortunately, when it comes to headaches, many patients do not receive an accurate diagnosis. If a patient were to see a doctor with a pain in the head and the doctor were to conclude that you have a pain in your head (headache), this tells little about the actual problem. In headache patients, we’ve become very good at labeling problems-giving them a name. If the headache comes and goes we call it episodic. If it occurs suddenly we call it acute, and if it occurs over many years we say it is chronic. But are these labels really helpful?

The reality is everyday people show up in doctors offices, obtain cursory examinations and walk out with a prescription for their head pain. Not all doctors do this, of course, but with the time constraints of managed care and the insurance company oversight, a doctor’s visit is just not what it used to be. When was the last time you had a house call from a doctor? Of course, the worst case is when a patient acts as their own doctor, sees an advertisement for a pill and does the diagnosing himself or herself!

In chiropractic, we may also label your headache as tension-type, migraine or chronic, but a good chiropractor will not stop there. The label does not give much of an indication of what needs to be done, and more importantly we still do not know the CAUSE of the pain. Clinical experience and research over many decades has shown that many headaches are actually caused by injuries to the neck and spine. But if a doctor does not examine the neck, they may not discover these hidden injuries. Sometimes an astute doctor will take a history and it may be discovered you had a whiplash or other neck trauma, months or even years earlier. This is important information to get at the cause.

High quality chiropractors take a comprehensive approach to headache patients. A detailed history about the location, duration, and quality of pain is followed up by a thorough physical examination, especially of your spinal column. We may also order imaging tests such as x-rays to see the positions of the individual vertebrae in your neck.

The normal neck has a forward curve or arch, which keeps your head upright and directly above your shoulders. When this curve is lost, the patient’s head is thrust forward in the classic “bad posture” stance. Making sure your neck is both flexible, and in good postural alignment, is critical to maintaining good health.

If you are suffering with lower back pain and other related conditions, a visit to a chiropractor might be in order. However, choosing the right chiropractor for you and your family can be an extremely challenging and somewhat frustrating endeavor. One of the first things to be aware of is that there are those chiropractors who treat only back, neck, and spine issues while there are those who devote their practice to the health and well-being of their patients. Here are a few tips for selecting the right chiropractor for you and your family.

Consider making an appointment with a chiropractor even if you have not been injured or are experiencing any pain. Chiropractic care is also a preventative tool and not just help for pain. They will evaluate you based on a spinal exam and x-rays and make recommendations.

Make a list of the ones that these individuals suggest and start researching each one and their individual practices. Be sure to inquire about their credentials including their education, experience, and years that they have been in practice.

Talk to other family members, friends, and neighbors who visit a chiropractor on a regular basis to see who they recommend. Chances are, if they have been happy with their chiropractic care, you will be, too.

Be sure that you continue interviewing other chiropractors until you are certain that the one you select is the best option for you and your family’s chiropractic needs. Additionally, you should contact the ACA (American Chiropractic Association) about the chiropractors that you are considering as they will have vital information regarding them and their practice. Remember that the right chiropractor will be extensively trained in nutrition and the use of supplements to promote better overall health. By following the tips above, the process of selecting the right chiropractor should be considerably easier on you.